in Places & People

Fascinating Vintage Photos of Life in Tallahassee, Florida from The 1950s

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Tallahassee is the capital city of Florida; it was founded in 1821 and it became Florida’s capital city in 1824. During the American Civil war, Union forces captured every Confederate state capital city east of the Mississippi River except Tallahassee. It is a trade and distribution point for the surrounding lumbering, agriculture, and livestock region. Tallahassee has a humid subtropical climate with long summers and short, mild winters, as well as drier springs and autumns.

Here below are some stunning vintage photos of Tallahassee from the 1950s that capture streets, landmarks, and everyday life.

#1 Negroes protesting segregation on the bus lines are boycotting the buses until their demands are met. Tallahassee, 1956.

Negroes protesting segregation on the bus lines are boycotting the buses until their demands are met. Tallahassee, 1956.

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#2 Couple at the Garden of Eden near Bristol, Florida – March 7, 1953

Couple at the Garden of Eden near Bristol, Florida – March 7, 1953

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#3 Children next to ice covered fence – Tallahassee, Florida. – March 27, 1955

Children next to ice covered fence – Tallahassee, Florida. – March 27, 1955

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#4 Duke and Duchess of Windsor visiting in Tallahassee, 1953

Duke and Duchess of Windsor visiting in Tallahassee, 1953

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#5 lorida State University Flying High Circus performers dressed as clownsRed, 1950

lorida State University Flying High Circus performers dressed as clownsRed, 1950

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#6 Kay Cromartie modeling bathing suits, May 14, 1955-

Kay Cromartie modeling bathing suits, May 14, 1955-

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#7 Kerce brothers with arrowheads and spear points, 1950

Kerce brothers with arrowheads and spear points, 1950

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#8 Leon County Sheriff Department’s exhibit on moonshine, 1955

Leon County Sheriff Department’s exhibit on moonshine, 1955

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#9 Student at Florida State University practicing tightrope walking during a circus performance course on campus.

Student at Florida State University practicing tightrope walking during a circus performance course on campus.

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#10 Students sitting on bench watching empty bus go by, 1951.

Students sitting on bench watching empty bus go by, 1951.

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#11 Joe Kerce reading sign marking the “birthplace of Adam” in the Garden of Eden

Joe Kerce reading sign marking the “birthplace of Adam” in the Garden of Eden

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#12 Lamar Bledsoe and others being served at a dinner party, August 1953

Lamar Bledsoe and others being served at a dinner party, August 1953

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#13 Conductor speaking with children in front of a stopped train – April 25, 1955

Conductor speaking with children in front of a stopped train – April 25, 1955

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#14 Dennis Christie and salesman at a Tallahassee business – October 17, 1955

Dennis Christie and salesman at a Tallahassee business – October 17, 1955

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#16 Pontiac prize car for Florida Driver Education Rodeo

Pontiac prize car for Florida Driver Education Rodeo

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#17 The world famous Duke and Duchess of Windsor relax here on the porch of a hotel in Waycross, Georgia, during a breakfast stop on their way to Tallahassee, Florida. T

The world famous Duke and Duchess of Windsor relax here on the porch of a hotel in Waycross, Georgia, during a breakfast stop on their way to Tallahassee, Florida. T

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#18 Clark children with deer and turkey from a successful hunt – Jan 9 1955

Clark children with deer and turkey from a successful hunt – Jan 9 1955

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#19 Inmates in the cafeteria at mealtime – September 8, 1954

Inmates in the cafeteria at mealtime – September 8, 1954

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#22 Highway patrol cars in the Tampa Gasparilla parade, 1954

Highway patrol cars in the Tampa Gasparilla parade, 1954

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11 Comments

  3. There is no need to glorify “history” with statues. This is how we should remember it. Even though I’m white, I can’t look at any of the white people in these photos without thinking, “evil effs.” Are we in the same position as we watch our government separate children from their parents and detain families indefinitely at the border? If we eat ourselves sick at dinner and throw away leftovers while people all over the world starve? Perhaps we are not as actively abhorrent as the racists were then, but we still bear responsibility for our complacency.

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